2/366 The Grand Canyon I Did Not Visit

Jason, Papa and Ollie are on the road today. They left Monday night from San Diego and are somewhere through Arizona when I got this picture today on my phone - the Grand Canyon. I am so jealous! I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, though I am a little bummed that Ollie is 4 and to him it is just a giant hole in the ground, but it is still super awesome that they took the time to go see it on their long trek through the west and into Chicago.

As for me, I started back at work today after a nice long California break, been staying busy, so I have not really felt the effects on being "alone" yet. I am reading everynight though which is great. Anyways - 2 blog posts in one week - that is great for me!

Project 365 Bandwagon

Okay so I know this Project 365 thing is old news, something that you intend to do everyday for the entire year, but I think - just like every other party that I am late to, that it is time to jump on.

I am going to attempt to blog every day. It might be boring, short, exciting - who knows. But I am going to work on it - and.....drumroll....I can start today because technically this is a leap year so it is 366 days - so missing yesterday still gets me 365 :) Yesterday I was a little jetlagged from my week in California. Anyways, so hopefully I will get an iPad soon and can blog from there a little easier. So, here is my entry. I will leave you with a little picture from California. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow!

Our First Full Week of Preschool

I won't lie or deny that it is not a little sad that, albeit quite empty, this blog was started when Ollie was about 4 months old, and here we are blogging about his first full week of preschool. I guess I am kind of sad that I have not been better about blogging his life, but trust me - I do have some nice looking scrapbooks on the shelves to show for it ;)

So we completed our first "real" week of preschool. I say real because last week was half days. It was a great week for Ollie. He really loves school. It is weird for me because I was so convinced that we would homeschool, and that it was the best option for any child, but the way he is taking to school I am second guessing that thought. Kilby is such a great school and we are so lucky to have gotten in there. Ollie loves playing outside, riding the bikes, and I swear in 2 weeks has has learned the phonics of the entire alphabet - he likes to quiz me in the car..."mom, what letter is 'ba, ba'?" -B!-

They have gone to the library, they eat their little lunches together (which he is trying new foods - wonderful!) - it is just a really special place, and it doesn't hurt that his best bud got in last minute, so Ollie and Sterling get to have a blast together everyday.

It will be interesting to see what happens this year. I am not making any decisions regarding Ollie's schooling until the year is over, whether we will homeschool or send him to kindergarten. I try to not regret much, but I do regret not putting Ollie's name on the waiting list for Kilby Kindergarten when he turned 3. There are so many names that his chances are slim to get in, so we will have a lot to think about for K. But for now, the best we can do is enjoy every minute of preschool. It is such a fun age. I cannot believe that I have reached the point in my life where I am no longer home with a toddler, but have a child in school everyday - weird.

"You gotta blog this kid"

I guess being the mother to an only child who has not really been to school yet, I don't really think about how quirky and awesome my kid is. Yes, really, I did not really think much of it when I dropped off Ollie's preschool paperwork at Kilby last week, while he was dressed in his Optimus Prime hand-me-down costume with his "sunglasses" aka disposable 3D glasses from our last movie adventure. Yup - that's my boy. I guess he is the prime example of self expression. I will try to make note of these silly and crazy things that he does, for the enjoyment of all.

Who wants to be an art teacher?

I do! Is this the part where 31-year-old me wishes that 16-year-old me would have stuck to the plan? Probably, but I choose never to have regret :) When I was in high school I thought I might go to college and study to be an art teacher, but my life ended up taking many twists and turns along the way. I still ended up going to art school and receiving my BFA, but I am not qualified to teach art in a K-12 setting. I still hope to one day go get my MFA, so that I can be an adjunct and teach the 101 classes for art, but for now I get to teach and play art with......2 year olds! Well, 2-1/2 to be exact. I will be a teacher at Early Arts two days a week teaching the 2-1/2-year old class. I am excited to start my lesson plans, in fact I need to get on it right now - researching craft and art projects for 2-1/2-year olds with a a pitstop over at Blogger :)

When do you start feeling like a grown up?

Getting up "early" for a 10:00 class? That was the complaint I overheard this morning from one of the MOPPET workers who are in college and paid to watch our kids while us MOPS moms do other things. Early? 10:00? By 10:00 I am already planning lunch! But yet with this realization of how far I have progressed as a person who reproduces and then lives the full-time life of caretaker, I still do not quite feel like I have obtained "grown-up status."

I would chock it up to the fact that my husband is once again a college student or that I am financially not able to go out and do glamourous things, but really we were not all that different pre-Oliver...and I did not feel like a "grown-up" then while I was working my 9-5 in downtown Chicago.

So when does the self-realiztion of grown-upism come? I am secretly hoping never. When one admits that they are officially grown up it seems like you then have surrendered to yourself, that change is no longer coming, and that you are now and forever the status quo. That just seems too bleak for me, but maybe that is just the way I am wired. Similar to how I cannot wrap my head around people that grow up and never move out of the same town, while envious I find it imcomprehensible - but that I will leave for another day!

Dear Sir, Please hire me.

So you want to be a writer. Well, maybe you don't but for some reason I do. I guess I must have the urge to create, pick your medium. Seriously though, I think I really need a job, and I am not really sure what to get a job at, I would really like to do something that I enjoy. I know you are saying, "If wishes were horses, we would all have nickels" - no wait - that is not it. I know getting paid to do something that we enjoy and can be proud of is not always obtainable, but I am going to try, I mean what else is an art school graduate living in Small Town, Alabama to do but go big or go home - unemployed.



So I am applying to 2 freelance writing jobs that I really want. One is at About.com and is P E R F E C T for me. It is a Guide Writer job on your expert topic, and they have an opening in Interior Decorating, Bedroom. Since my BFA has a concentration in Interior Design, I could totally work this. The second job is a bit more tricky, but is for Living Social, writing up wry, obnoxious, and funny paragraphs advertising the local deals, as well as coming up with things to do in your chosen city. Trouble is the chosen city is Mobile, Alabama....so either prophetic for Jason getting accepted to USA - or I get to visit the beach once a month. Either way I will take it.

Working on the Bucket List

As if a message from God, or more so my local library, I received an email for a writing workshop for those wanting to become a writer. I have not called and reserved my seat yet, but I am hoping that come Monday morning they will still have a spot for me. At first I was a little apprehensive, envisioning this workshop filled with retirees and missed Saturday afternoons, but the more I think about it the more I think I will really benefit from this.

I am still waiting to hear back from About.com for their Guide Writer position. I do not have any professional or formal writing experience, just field experience, so I am not sure if they will pursue me at all. I was very proud of my sample article and received some great reviews from friends and family. Ever since I have written that article though, I have been dreaming about how wonderful a job that would be, about how much I could enjoy writing for a living, and how much I now find myself with so much that I want to say.

And as the title of my blog post alludes to, it has been something on my "bucket list" now for a while, to write a book. I am still working on what and when and how and who, but it is something that I really want to do.

So maybe it is pure coincidence that I actually read the mass email blast from the Florence, Al public library, or maybe God has my new-found interests in his horizons, either way, I know who I will be calling come 9:00 tomorrow morning to reserve a spot and create in this mama a writer!

Random Thought

If you could jet around the world to reach a place where the weather could reflect your mood would you? Of course you would! What a question! On a Sunday night like this one, I would choose to transport some place where it would be winter right now. I can almost feel the crisp, cold air on my face, drying out my skin and lips, the dark blue backdrop with fluffy, fat snowflakes falling silently on the blanketed ground. I would be sitting inside next to a fire, under a warm fleece blanket, and watching my favorite movie.

Water for Elephants and Bucket Lists

Our book club is officially in full swing, after finishing up House Rules by Jodi Piccoult, which I found entertaining but likened it too much to a Lifetime movie, we chose Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I was a little apprehensive about this book, thinking that we had moved from one "chick book" to another, but I have to say that I was very much moved and entertained by this book. I won't spoil it, since we have our meeting on Tuesday to discuss over dinner followed by heading to the movies to watch the story play out on the big screen, but I know this was a wonderful novel by my physical reaction to this book.



You might be wondering, huh? Physical reaction? Sounds weird I know, but I do not know how else to explain it. It is strange, I find that when I finish a book, and if I really enjoyed it and was moved by the story, my body feels as if there is a hole in my chest, a small place where the breeze of the story that once moved through me lies still, and it leaves me with that strange feeling, like coming in from playing outside on a late summer evening into a still house. Maybe I am an unaware empath or something. Who knows.

Anyways, moving forward.

I enjoyed reading the author's notes on this book, about the research she did and the traveling to the museums, the books, and all the leg work that was involved, and reading this only cemented in me that I want, no wait, I need to write something. Ever since I read how Stephenie Meyers awoke from a dream and started writing scenes from the Twilight Saga during her sons' swim classes I have thought to myself, I can do that.

So, now that I am *gasp* 31 year's old, I think I need to start really taking stock of my life and what I want to accomplish. I have pretty much consider myself above adequate in most things that I pursue, which leaves me to believe that there still must be something I can be great at. Maybe I will get lucky and it will be writing, though I will not hold my breath. But I figure I will give it a shot.

Now...what to write about.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Last year a little quiz thing circulated Facebook stating that according to the BBC, out of 100 "classic" books, most people had only read 6. It has been my goal since then to read every book on that list. So far I have read The Great Gatsby and The Lovely Bones, but I recently decided to take a detour from my BBC list and read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

I was warned. This book was going to make me cry, and that it did.

I usually don't read books about animals, because I know they are going to die, and for some reason an animal dying almost always has to be more sad than a person dying. I was intrigued with the concept of the dog narrator, and I enjoyed the quirkiness of dogdom, but midway through it began to feel a little tedious to read. You know the dog is going to die, it is not really a spoiler, the first chapter sort of starts Pulp Fiction-style near the end. But as I got to the end it pulled nicely together and left me overall feeling like it was worth my time and money.

I recommend this book to anyone who can handle the emotional story of a dog and his master, and the story of their lives together and the beautiful wisdom and the pictures it paints of a dog and his family. I will honestly always look at my doggies differently now.

Understanding why things happen for a reason....

Why is it so hard to understand the way and the will of God.

I must say that when fate brought me to Bridge Street 2 weekends ago for a fun night out with friends, only to discover that a fantastic job opportunity was right there, it seemed like a billboard from God. I have stepped away from my BFA and design for almost 4 years now with only some freelance and some creativity sporatically interspersed over that time period. I have walked away and sacrificed it for time to spend with my family. But here I was with 2 people affirming my BFA, how amazing did that feel?! It felt like it was meant to be, it really did, and I was terrified.

When this job at Anthropologie basically fell into my lap, I really thought that was my cue to move onto something new.

The resume, the call, the interview, it all went so well. I guess I am just trying to figure out what I was supposed to get from it all, since I obviously did not get the job.

What am I supposed to learn from this experience.

I think the first thing I am thankful for is that I am not working in Huntsville. I am greatful for the fact that I do not have to commute 3 hours a day, that I do not have to wake up at 4:00 am to get there, and I do not have to be so far away and rely on others to care for my most precious gift.

I think it also reminded me that I am a creative and artistic person, and I can throw it all together still on a whim. I do still have a solid skill set, and it is just on the backburner now while more pressing things are in my life like raising my son and supporting my husband into medical school.

So where does it leave me? Who knows. Still searching I guess. Still searching for what I am supposed to do in the meantime. How am I supposed to help contribute to our little family while life is crazy and chaotic? God will provide a way and a means. Who am I to question what, where, and how. All I can do is discover, review and file away what I have learned and keep pressing forward.

Billy Pilgrim tried hard to care.

This might be my favorite line out of a book ever. In my pursuit to read literature outside of the Twilight Saga I am reading Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5. It's not really that great so far. I am trying hard to read it and get to the part that is going to make this book "great" - since I assume it must be this famous for a reason. I read that line on page 73 and thought about how true to life that statement actually is.

I like to think I am a naturally caring person, but I think I have to try "hard to care," because it would be so easy to slip into complete selfishness and only worry about matters that pertain to me.

So I am trying hard to care about this book. Concentrating on the words as I follow this journey through time. My dad told me for every book you read you become that much smarter - so alas I am trying hard to care.

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Everyone is doing it, really - it's great. Yeah. Twilight is like the gateway drug of the series. You read it, it is a little rough, but you enjoy the experience. You come down to the end, and you are left wanting more. Need another fix - enter New Moon, even better.

And so on and so forth until you finish Breaking Dawn and you are left thinking "where did all the time go?" "what have I been doing with my life" and things of that sort. You ravage your book shelves for something that can compare to the perfect mix of romance, sci-fi and suspense, but nothing is good enough. You say you are going to move on with you life, give up this "kid stuff" and you head to your local library.

But nothing fills the void. You need a fix. Breaking Dawn stares at you like a lonely friend needing some attention. You think of the good times you had together, and you reach for the book. You think to yourself, this is stupid, I have already read this, but the addiction grabs hold and you find yourself re-reading the entire series.

Yes. Help me. The first step is admitting you have a problem. I always thought I am not one of those pathetic 13-year-old girls who are obsessed with Twilight, but am I? Perhaps. I need to find something else to read!!

Homeschooling and Unschooling

So for some reason my current obsession lately is reading everything I can on homeschooling. Oliver is only 3.5, and I know I have some time to work out the kinks, but if I don't have like 3 things to obsess over on any given day, than I might actually have some time to relax.

Anyways, this venture has been frustrating because I cannot seem to find the right combination of information that I am looking for. I really love the idea of homeschooling, but I hate the idea of trying to recreate the classroom at home. I enjoy reading blurps from the Homeschool Channel, but when everyone submitted photos of their "school room" I found myself browsing in disbelief. I mean chalk boards, child's desks, and a mom's "teacher" desk? I am sure I am bound to offend someone here, but really? If you wanted that sort of set up maybe you should have gone into teaching? No wonder homeschooling has such a bad connotation with the "norm." Looking at these photos makes me feel sorry for these kids. I would rather be at school with my friends than sitting in my basement while my mom played teacher.

Okay, that was probably a little rough. I completely understand that there is more to homeschooling than that. I have many friends that homeschool and may like this idea, and if it works for your family than I think that is fantastic, but I know it would not work so much for mine.

So back to the beginning, I have been researching this concept of "unschooling," though the term is pretty lame, "natural learning" or "organic learning" seems to be a much friendlier sounding way of learning. It sounds great to embark on a child-led learning adventure, but what worries me is the ability to "let go" and try to not lead. I feel like I need some sort of book, some sort of focused time during the day where we will sit down and learn something. The more I sit back and relax and spend time with Oliver the more I realize that we actually "unschool" often.

Tonight we brought Jason dinner at UNA, so we decided to stroll around campus and take in the scenery. We splashed around in 2 fountains, hoped to see the lions, and found a mummified ciccada-looking bug (yes - I know perfect research opportunity!) Ollie immediately wanted to take it home and mount it next to his other bugs. I know that I am going to have to muster up some guts because this kid is going to be an bug enthusiast. My point is that just in that 30 minutes we were at UNA, so many vibrant learning opportunities presented themselves. I guess that is just what I envision, Oliver and I (and Jason when he's not at school) adventuring through life and this place we live, learning about everything we find. I just hope I can let go and let him lead. I hope I can keep it exciting, and I hope I can find a perfect balance.

Finished the skirts!

So I finished the little skirts for my niece Hannah. They were super simple and I think went over great. Now that I am a little more comfortable with the pattern I am able to get a little creative! I had one great idea I did not get a chance to finish because I left early. Will try to upload pics soon!

Location : Address not available

My First Clothing Item

I cannot claim it as a design, because it is not mine. I came across this.....

lazy days skirt free pattern

....and decided to give it a try. Since I have a son, I decided I would make this for myself, so I basically "doubled" it. I must say, it was very easy, came out pretty cute and I am going to make more. I just bought some patterns today for some cute and easy tops. It is my goal to be able to design my own patters, I figure an $80,000 college degree in Interior Design should get me somewhere in making clothes!

Anyways, I will post some pics of the final product. Do no judge me on my fabric! Since this was a first go around I used some simple cotton I had in my stash, but now that I know I can do this, I am on the hunt for some cute and funky fabric, the this great blue and green fabric I picked up last week on sale - the blue ribbon will be the hem. I think I will use the rest of these hearts and flowers to make some of these simple skirts for my nieces!

Forgive the bathroom background, it is my only full-length mirror! The skirt does fall nicely.

Props to oliver + S , I love their site, design and feel. Very cool! They also have some more free patterns for cute vintage-like little ones clothing items.

I am such a slacker.

I really want to keep up a blog, like really. I want to hone my writing skills. There are so many creative endeavors that I want to do, but I cannot find enough time in the day to even do my dishes. That and I type like 500 lines a day for work, lol....so the computer sometimes is the last place I want to be.

I started this blog when my son was 4 months old. He is now over 3. WOW does time fly. Ironically, sleep was something of a luxury then, and 3 years later it still is.


So in a lightning-fast up-to-date story. I have moved from Chicago to Alabama. I am working from home as a medical languange specialist. Nothing too exciting but it pays the bills. I have many creative processes on my mind lately.

I just received a beautiful new sewing machine that I am going to need to post a picture of. It has inspired me to want to create. I was working on quilts here and there before, and thought I could harness my need to be creative through that, but I am now thinking broader - clothes! Luckily I do not have a daughter, which means I get to be my prime guinea pig. Yes. I want to try and design some clothes.

I also really want to start writing again. I was a poet at one point in my young life, I even met Ray Bradbury after winning an Honorable Mention in a contest. I am such a dud lately, I can barely write an email. So this is my new practice place. Sorry if it will bore you but I can use the practice. I would love to come up with something creating, but Jason thinks I should write a book about his journey.

Jason, as you may know, has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for over 5 years now. This has changed our life in so many ways. We are now more health concious then we ever were and we hope to pass this on to Ollie. Also, Jason is attempting to work his way into medical school and become a doctor. What a feat that will be! So, as if I have some gift of forsight, I so aptly named this blog appropriately. Once after my infant, and now through the long, long sleepless road of the wife of a hopeful med student.

Okay well enough for now.

Long Time No Blog

Sorry to all my non-existent readers. I was on vacation at home! I haven't posted any blogs lately because my life is boring......okay not really but here goes.

Last week I was off work all week and I had a really great time. I tried to make sure that I did not waste one day of it!

Saturday - Jason's Paintball Team BBQ
Sunday - Was really hot......watched football
Monday - Hung out with the parentals
Tuesday - Lunch and tea party with Kari!
Wednesday - Went shopping
Thursday - Visited Women in the Word (Miss you guys!)
Friday - Relaxed (Oh and got into a minor car accident!)
Saturday - Jason's mom came and brought me dinner
Sunday - Watch football all day!

Yeah so it was a great week. Ollie is now a crawling MADMAN! I have a great video of him, I will try to get it uploaded, but it is pretty big.

Ooh Im Cute!

Yep I am cute. As of last Sunday I am 7 months old! I can crawl like a catepillar, I like to blow rasberries and spit all over the place, I like to play with my toys, follow my mom into the kitchen, touch the puppy and I hate to go to bed!